End the Blackout Blues

Let's face it, the television rules how we live.

We watch TV to be informed. We watch TV to be entertained. Sometimes we watch and get both at the same time.

Even if the online world is taking over, YouTube is nothing more than millions of TV channels. Whatever it is, the box is the big cheese of American society.

So that's why I don't understand the NFL sometimes.

It's the most powerful sports league in the world and has TV in its back pocket, but every week it threatens home teams that it will black out the game if the stadium does not sell out.

That logic doesn't make any sense. Why potentially spoil the game for hundreds of thousands of viewers for the sake of selling a few thousand nosebleed seats? I know it's all about money, but there has to be some room for common sense, too.

An NFL game is a very different experience when it's seen live versus on the tube. At Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, it's all about the pregame tailgate. There's nothing better than grilling burgers and tossing back a few beers with 60,000 of your closest friends.

Once inside, though, your view turns into tunnel vision and the game quickly becomes very small. Take away the crowds, the cheerleaders and the music, and it's nothing more than a pickup game with fancy uniforms. There's no expert analysis of plays or play selection, unless you count the drunk guy next to you who curses the Chargers for being predictable and never passing on first down.

TV is different.

The pregame festivities may consist of a beer or two, but your only friend may be the lawn mower, or whatever household appliance you agreed to pick up in exchange for your wife allowing you to watch the game.

But once that game starts, it's magic. The announcers come in and do their thing, dissecting every play from scratch. The instant replays go backward and forward. The DVR kicks in so I can take a bathroom break whenever I want. And the refrigerator is only a few feet away.

The best part? When the game is over, I'm on the couch watching the next game, not sitting in a parking lot 20 miles from home wondering why I spent a week's paycheck just to watch the Chargers lose.

You gotta love TV.

In a perfect world, blackout rules just don't apply.